Washington D.C. (VNA) – Richard CreaghSchmitt, and his wife, Dabney Schmitt, have spent years carrying out activities insupport of Vietnam, especially local children.
Their love for the Southeast Asian nation was inspiredby their eldest son, Landon, who had special sentiments for the country and peopleof Vietnam. The young man studied and lived in Vietnam for several years beforepassing away in Ho Chi Minh City in June 2009.
Since then, the US couple decided to fulfill their son’spending wishes, firstly supporting local disadvantaged children. In November2009, only a few months after their son’s passing, they visited HCM City andHanoi to begin charity work.
They built a school for visually impaired children inDong Ha city in the central province of Quang Tri, which was officially put intooperation in 2012. The 25 children at the school can talk and study in English and have Skype conservations with the couple about every two months.
Schmitt and his wife had visited Vietnam 18 times, yet theirregular trip was suspended in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic andtheir health issues.
Notably, in 2010, they established a fund in memory ofhis son, under which nearly 850,000 USD has been raised to date, and hundredsof gifts come to Vietnamese children each year.
With the funding, the couple was able to launch otherprojects in Vietnam, including three preschools in rural areas, waterfacilities for residents, and support for organisations in the fight againsthuman trafficking.
Over the past years, they have joined charityorganisations in HCM City to support the Southeast Asian nation in the pandemiccombat.
Currently, they are operating a charity organisationfor underprivileged Vietnamese children, which is based in the central city ofDa Nang and intended to carry out education projects in the city and itsneighbouring province of Quang Nam.
As members of a group addressing war consequences inVietnam, the couple have paid special attention to children affected by AgentOrange (AO)/dioxin, and have worked to enable their families to receive medicalassistance and earn livelihoods, while empowering women and children.
Both, who are now over 70 years old, said they have nointention of stopping what they are doing, and committed to spending the restof their lives supporting Vietnamese children./.
Their love for the Southeast Asian nation was inspiredby their eldest son, Landon, who had special sentiments for the country and peopleof Vietnam. The young man studied and lived in Vietnam for several years beforepassing away in Ho Chi Minh City in June 2009.
Since then, the US couple decided to fulfill their son’spending wishes, firstly supporting local disadvantaged children. In November2009, only a few months after their son’s passing, they visited HCM City andHanoi to begin charity work.
They built a school for visually impaired children inDong Ha city in the central province of Quang Tri, which was officially put intooperation in 2012. The 25 children at the school can talk and study in English and have Skype conservations with the couple about every two months.
Schmitt and his wife had visited Vietnam 18 times, yet theirregular trip was suspended in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic andtheir health issues.
Notably, in 2010, they established a fund in memory ofhis son, under which nearly 850,000 USD has been raised to date, and hundredsof gifts come to Vietnamese children each year.
With the funding, the couple was able to launch otherprojects in Vietnam, including three preschools in rural areas, waterfacilities for residents, and support for organisations in the fight againsthuman trafficking.
Over the past years, they have joined charityorganisations in HCM City to support the Southeast Asian nation in the pandemiccombat.
Currently, they are operating a charity organisationfor underprivileged Vietnamese children, which is based in the central city ofDa Nang and intended to carry out education projects in the city and itsneighbouring province of Quang Nam.
As members of a group addressing war consequences inVietnam, the couple have paid special attention to children affected by AgentOrange (AO)/dioxin, and have worked to enable their families to receive medicalassistance and earn livelihoods, while empowering women and children.
Both, who are now over 70 years old, said they have nointention of stopping what they are doing, and committed to spending the restof their lives supporting Vietnamese children./.
VNA
